Recreational cannabis has some cheering and others scratching their head.

Fort Saskatchewan's Protective Services are one of the groups whose concerns venture further than public use.

"If we look at the experiences wherever else it's been legalized, there's been an increase in consumption, there's been an increase in collisions and an increase in hospitalizations. We know that there's going to be a negative consequence with the legalization," said Brad Ward, Fort Saskatchewan’s director of protective services.

At Fort Saskatchewan's Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday (Oct.18), Ward recognized that there will be people who consume cannabis responsibly, but expressed serious concern for those who choose to drive after.

One of the other issues brought up was the long-term health effects on youth and cannabis users under the age of 25.

"The biggest unknown is there hasn't been a lot of medical research done because it wasn't a legal product, but based on what we've seen in other jurisdictions, there will be some issues," added Ward.

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